The food processing industry continues to devise high production systems for the inspection of food products such as potatoes to ensure the quality desired, length, and removal of substantially all defective pieces from a stream of product such as raw potato strips which are being processed into french fries. Historically, defect removal and quality control in the food processing industry has been labor intensive and dependent upon and limited by the viability of the work force. The frequency and severity of defects in the raw product is highly variable depending upon local factors affecting crops. Accordingly, food processors must process large quantities of raw product through different stages to be cost effective, including sorting to remove defective pieces and inspection for product quality. The industry has sought to replace manual methods with automated systems to achieve higher yield, better product quality and reduced costs. Accordingly, one industry strategy is to provide automated inspection and cutting systems.
Inspection and cutting systems have been constructed for optically inspecting elongated articles, and for separating the articles based upon whether the optical information indicates that the article contains a defect. An exemplary inspection and cutting apparatus and method for same is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,520,702 granted to Davis et al. on Jun. 5, 1985, and which is incorporated herein by reference. While the Davis apparatus has served the industry well, the market continues to demand improved product yield where more of the good product is recovered; improved quality where a higher percentage of defective product is being removed; and with both of these improvements to further handling of the product at greater speeds of processing. However, limitations of previous apparatuses and methods have impeded the food processing industry from reaching these goals, and therefore, the industry continues to strive to improve their existing methods of processing.
For example, the Davis apparatus uses a rotating cutting mechanism that houses cutting devices selectively driven by water to partially extend the cutting devices from the cutting mechanism to cut elongated articles moving on a conveyor. To increase processing speeds, the angular velocity of the cutting mechanism must increase. However, such increased angular velocity exerts inertia forces on the cutting devices which has the effect from time to time of indiscriminately moving the cutting devices to extend from the cutting mechanism and potentially inadvertently cut quality product. Accordingly, product yield and quality are diminished. In view of the foregoing, it would be highly desirable to provide methods and apparatuses which address this perceived shortcoming.
In addition to the foregoing, the Davis apparatus relies upon a system of valves and conduits to supply water for delivering a pulse of water to drive the cutting devices for cutting product. However, moving such a mass of water with valves positioned a distance from the cutting device is perceived to limit processing speeds because moving the necessary volume of water proved to be relatively slow for increasing the speed of food processing. Moreover, the valves and water used in previous methods and apparatuses proved unsatisfactory because it was difficult to drive individual cutting devices. This appeared to be due to the fact that the duration of a pulse of water could not be shortened to drive only one cutting device. As a result, two cutting devices were sometimes activated where one would have been more beneficial. Furthermore, increasing the angularly velocity of the cutting mechanism would only exacerbate this limitation. Accordingly, product yield and quality were diminished.
Another disadvantage resulting from not being able to selectively activate one cutting device is that length cutting is less productive if a section of an elongated article is removed for sizing due to two cutting devices being driven when one will suffice. In view of the foregoing, it would be highly desirable to provide methods and apparatuses for selectively activating only one cutting device when desired.
Yet further, the Davis apparatus did not detect elongated articles clumped together, that is, two or more elongated articles contacting one another during the cutting process. Accordingly, if a clump of several elongated articles are clumped together with only one having a defect, and a cutting device is activated to cut the defect, the other quality elongated articles could be inadvertently cut.
In view of the foregoing, it would be highly desirable to provide methods and apparatuses for improving the apparatus and method of the prior art, and to further provide a method and apparatus for improving the selective removal of defects from elongated articles.